A wide variety of electronic devices may be utilized for various purposes. Many of these electronic devices have a user interface that provides information to the user and/or that receives input from a user. In some instances, a user may desire to concurrently utilize two or more electronic devices. In instances in which each of the electronic devices has its own respective user interface, the user may find it challenging to interact with the user interfaces of each of the electronic devices in a timely and efficient manner. As such, some electronic devices interact with one another such that portions of the user interface of each of the electronic devices are presented upon the same display, such as the display of one of the electronic devices. As such, a user may interact with each of the electronic devices by reference to the display and, more particularly, by interacting with the portions of the user interfaces of the electronic devices that are presented upon the display.
By way of example, some vehicles may include a head unit, such as an in-vehicle infotainment system. The vehicle head unit may include a user interface, such as a display, for presenting information regarding the vehicle and/or various subsystems of the vehicle. The user interface of the head unit may also be configured to receive input from a user. As such, the user interface may include various hard and/or soft keys. The user interface may include a touchscreen display for receiving user input. The head unit may be configured to interact with a mobile device that is in proximity to the head unit, such as by being brought into the passenger compartment of the vehicle. In this regard, a user of a mobile device, such as a mobile telephone, a portable digital assistant (PDA), a music player or the like, may enter a vehicle having a head unit so as to be brought into proximity to the head unit. The mobile device may provide the head unit with information regarding the user interface of the mobile device and the head unit may, in turn, present at least a portion of the user interface of the mobile device upon the display of the head unit. Thus, the display of the head unit may include a portion of the user interface of the mobile device as well as at least a portion of the user interface of the head unit itself. Thus, a user may reference the display of the head unit in order to obtain information from at least portions of the user interfaces of the mobile device and the head unit.
The user may provide input to the mobile device and the head unit via the respective portions of the user interfaces of the mobile device and the head unit that are displayed by the head unit. In this regard, in an instance in which the head unit determines that the user has provided input via the portion of the display that is dedicated to the user interface of the mobile device, the head unit may provide the mobile device with information regarding the input such that the mobile device may respond appropriately. Conversely, in an instance in which the head unit determines that the user has provided input via the portion of the display that is dedicated to the user interface of the head unit, the head unit may respond to the user input.
Because the display of the head unit is divided so as to display at least a portion of the user interface of the mobile device and at least a portion of the user interface of the head unit, the size of the portions of the display dedicated to the user interface of the mobile device and the user interface head unit may be smaller than those with which the user is accustomed to interacting. As such, the user may have difficulties in some instances in interacting with the display so as to receive information from and/or provide information to the mobile device and/or head unit.